Bonaire Marine Park
The Bonaire Marine Park, founded in 1979 to protect the island's most precious natural resource, covers an area of less than 700 acres and includes all the waters around the island from the high-water mark to the 60-meter depth. Because it has so zealously protected its marine environment, Bonaire offers an amazing diversity of underwater life. Turtles, rays, and fish of every imaginable color abound in the pristine waters of the park. Several well-enforced rules include: (1) pay the annual Nature Fee, and attach the yellow tag you receive to an item of scuba gear; (2) no spearfishing; (3) no dropping anchor; and (4) no touching, stepping on, or collecting coral. Checkout dives—dives you do first with a master before going out on your own—are required, and you can arrange them through any dive shop. All dive operations offer classes in free buoyancy control, advanced buoyancy control, and photographic buoyancy control.
